The official BradyGAMES strategy guide
for Double Dragon V. It contains strategies, moves for every character,
codes and Game Genie codes for all three systems. The guide also features
info on the cartoon, plus an early behind-the-scenes preview of the movie
before it came out. The most interesting part about this guide is the
following interview on pages 4 and 5:

Double Dragon V Interview

Mike Abbot, VP, Director of Software
and Music Development, Producer of Double Dragon.

Dave Schwartz, Programmer of Double Dragon V: the Shadow Falls.

How did you get started creating video games?

Mike: I've been in the industry since
the very beginning -15 years - back in the old Apple II days. Started
when I was in high school putting them in plastic bags. I started my
own company, and suddenly we made half a million dollars one year.

How long have you been involved with the Double Dragon game?

Mike: Since the very beginning.
Double Dragon started as a coin-op game in 1987. Our company thought
it over and made it a Nintendo game.

Dave: Since last September. Before
that, I was working on Troy Aikman Football.

How does the game relate to the cartoon and the movie?

Mike: The DIC cartoon came along after
original game. And now the movie's coming out in October.
They're all closely related, and the characters are similar. DDV's
Shadow Warriors are taken directly from the cartoon.

What's new in DDV: the Shadow Falls?

Mike: It's not a side-scrolling game
anymore. It's a one-on-one fighting game. It has a tournament
option where you can fight the bad guys. Secret codes. Power-ups
you can manipulate by using the player attributes. Versus battles
where you can play each other. And, it's full of great sound effects.

What's the most unique sound effect?

Mike: That's hard to say since
the game has 177. I like Jawbreaker's roars and the sound of the Shadow
Master's sword slicing through the air.

Who created the concepts for the
current characters?

Mike: All the characters for the new
game were basically derived from the cartoon. We took them and made
them fun. Came up with really outrageous moves and then whittled them
down to what we could fit into the game.

Are the home versions different from the arcade version?

Mike: DDV is the new generation
- it's not a side-scrolling game anymore. There's no Double Dragon V for
the arcade - yet.

Are there any hidden feature that
gamers should look for?

Dave: A bunch. There are
different codes for disabling throws and dizzies. You can disable the whole
throwing system. And, you can configure your character attributes beyond
the basic choices.

Do you have any strategy tips for
winning the game?

Dave: Constantly jump around
and don't stay still. If you don't keep moving, the computer will figure
out where you are. If you keep one step ahead of it, the computer will have
more trouble keeping up with you.

Dave: Don't use the same attack
over and over again. Using a variety of attacks is the key to winning.
Moving from a high to a low area of attack is a good way to beat the
computer.

Dave: Rely on each character's
secret moves. Launch your projectiles from a variety of distances. The
computer will do the same thing. There are patterns to the computer's
moves, but the DDV computer is very random - there's more variety than the
typical fighting game.

Which character's should gamers learn
first?

Dave: The easiest to learn are
the Lee brothers. Their moves are similar, so if you learn one, you'll pick
up the other one fairly quickly. Unlike the other characters, Billy and
Jimmy's moves follow moves from traditional fighting games more.

Dave: After that, which player
you want to learn comes down to your personal preference.

Who's your favorite character to play?

Dave: Bones is my favorite -
he's a crack up. He's the hippest. He's got the most attitude. And, he
can throw his head across the room at you.

Dave: The consensus is that
Trigger Happy is the easiest to win with. He's got two long-range
projectiles, a shock field, and a strong slide move. He's pretty
well-rounded. He can be anywhere on the screen and still be able to attack
you.

What's it like working at William's
Entertainment?

Dave: At Williams, it's a lot
of fun. I walk around barefoot all day and program games. As
long as you get your projects done on time, you can play games as much as
you want.

What else would you like people to know about the game?

Mike: It's got one of the best
soundtracks out there.

Dave: Yes. I agree. We have
a cool rock-n-roll soundtrack that goes all through the game. Turn up
your stereo.